Monday June 30 Ag News

Soybean White Mold Management Season is Here
Dylan Mangel - Extension Plant Pathologist

As we approach the critical period for managing white mold in soybeans, it's essential to make timely and informed decisions to mitigate potential losses. Sclerotinia stem rot, or white mold, significantly impacted yields in 2021 and 2023 soybean crops, and proactive management is crucial for this season. The key factors to keep in mind as you monitor and manage fields are:
    Flowering Susceptibility: Soybean plants are most vulnerable to white mold infection during the flowering stage (R1 to R3).
    Protective Measures: Ensuring flowers are protected is essential for preventing infection and controlling the disease. Late management will not save infected plants.
    Environmental Conditions: Wet, humid environments facilitate the spread of white mold.
    Field History: Fields with a prior history of white mold are at greater risk of occurrence, often beginning in the same hotspots where infection occurred in past seasons due to the persistence of sclerotia in the soil.

Pathogen Overview
Sclerotinia stem rot, commonly known as white mold, is a fungal disease caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. The fungus survives between seasons in the soil as hard, black, dark structures called sclerotia. In spring, saturated soils and a full canopy favor the emergence of apothecia, mushroom-like structures that release millions of airborne spores during flowering. These spores infect soybeans primarily through senescing blossoms and injured tissue, requiring free moisture for infection. The disease typically prevents successful pod development and produces more sclerotia on and in the stems, which are scattered back onto the soil during harvest and can survive for several years.

Disease Symptoms
Symptoms of white mold usually appear during pod development and can be subtle at first. The disease often begins with wilting and discoloration of leaves, followed by stem and pod infections that show white, cottony fungal growth and black sclerotia. Water-soaked lesions typically form near colonized flowers, and stems become tan, brittle and hollow, sometimes containing sclerotia. Affected stems frequently shred when pulled apart and show signs/symptoms approximately 6 to 14 inches above the soil surface, although lower stems may also be infected as well. 

Favorable Environmental Conditions
White mold develops from flowering to pod formation under wet, humid conditions with moderate temperatures (<85°F). It is more prevalent in northern Nebraska counties and irrigated fields throughout central Nebraska, due to the consistent moisture and cooler canopy temperatures.

Management Strategies
Genetic Resistance: Choose varieties rated well against white mold, avoiding highly susceptible ones, and select shorter varieties that do not lodge.

Cultural Practices: In fields with a history of significant white mold, use wider row spacing (30-inch over 15-inch) to delay canopy closure and reduce humidity. Avoid irrigation during flowering if possible. Rotate with non-host crops like corn and maintain good weed control, as some weeds and cover crops can host the fungus. Tillage has been considered for control, but it is not recommended due to water consideration and the lack of effective control.

Manganese management is another consideration. Be aware that improper soil manganese levels will prevent plants from effective white mold defense. Soil manganese adjustments should be made before the season. Foliar manganese feeding can also be done in season, but it should be done before flowering begins.

Chemical/Biological Control: Apply foliar fungicides during the susceptibility window at flowering if there is a field history of white mold and favorable weather conditions for disease development. Late applications made after the infection window are not effective. Refer to the Crop Protection Network https://cropprotectionnetwork.org/publications/fungicide-efficacy-for-control-of-soybean-foliar-diseases and the UNL 2025 Guide for Weed, Disease, and Insect Management in Nebraska https://marketplace.unl.edu/extension/ec130.html for fungicide efficacy test results to find products that are effective on the pathogen.



Nebraska Ag Leaders Letter Supports the US Remaining in the WTO

Nebraska Farm Bureau recently led an effort by the Nebraska Ag Leaders Working Group sending a letter to Nebraska’s three House members supporting the United State maintaining membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO). The letter comes in response to the potential movement of a resolution in the House introduced by Congressman Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin calling for the US to formally withdraw from the international body. 

”Nebraska agriculture is a prime example of how international trade fuels rural economies. In 2023, Nebraska’s agricultural exports totaled $7.9 billion, making it the third-highest export year on record despite global headwinds. Our state ranks fifth nationally in agricultural exports and remains a top producer and exporter of all of the commodities our collective organizations represent,” the letter said.  However, these figures are more than just numbers—they represent the livelihoods of thousands of Nebraska farm and ranch families whose economic well-being depends on access to global markets. 

The WTO plays a critical role in maintaining fair trade practices, resolving disputes, and opening new markets for U.S. agricultural and biofuel products. All in all, a strong WTO helps maintain and govern the rules-based trading system that has allowed Nebraska agricultural and biofuels exports to grow since its inception, the letter said.  



Free Financial, Legal Consultations for Nebraska Producers in July

Free legal and financial clinics are being offered for farmers and ranchers across the state in July. The clinics are one-on-one in-person meetings with an agricultural law attorney and an agricultural financial counselor. These are not group sessions, and they are confidential.

The attorney and financial advisor specialize in legal and financial issues related to farming and ranching, including financial and business planning, transition planning, farm loan programs, debtor/creditor law, debt structure and cash flow, agricultural disaster programs, and other relevant matters. Here is an opportunity to obtain an independent, outside perspective on issues that may be affecting your farm or ranch.

Clinic Dates
    Tuesday, July 1 — Norfolk
    Thursday, July 17  — Fairbury
    Wednesday, July 23 — Norfolk

To sign up for a free clinic or to get more information, call the Nebraska Farm Hotline at 1-800-464-0258. Funding for this work is provided by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture and Legal Aid of Nebraska.



Succession Planning Without a Family Heir
Jul 17, 2025 12:00 PM 
Jessica Groskopf, Agricultural Economist and NE Extension Educator

What happens to the farm or ranch when no one in the family is coming back to run it?

It’s a hard question and one that more and more landowners are facing. But with some planning and the right support, it’s possible to create a clear path forward that honors your wishes.

This webinar will walk through the key steps in farm and ranch succession planning without a family heir, including: how to clarify your goals, essential documents, choosing the right team of advisors, and building a plan that that is legally and practically sound.

Miss the live webinar or want to review it again? Recordings are available — typically within 24 hours of the live webinar — in the archive section of the Center for Agricultural Profitability's webinar page, https://cap.unl.edu/webinars. Use this link to register for the webinar as well. 



Growth Energy Commends California Governor, Legislature for Including E15 Funding in Final Budget

Growth Energy, the nation's largest biofuel trade association, welcomed the California state legislature's approval and California Governor Gavin Newsom's signing of a budget that included funding for the state's approval of E15, a cleaner-burning, more affordable fuel blend made with 15% bioethanol that is approved for use in 96% of all cars on the road today.  

The approved budget sets California on the course to join the 49 other states that allow the sale of E15. By including this provision in the budget, the California legislature has ensured that the state's chief air quality regulator—the California Air Resources Board (CARB)—has the funding it needs to finalize approval of E15 and bring Californians closer to getting access to this more affordable fuel option. 

"E15 is both the best, and only fuel option that can help California achieve its goals of lowering emissions while lowering costs for cash-strapped consumers," said Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor. "We commend Governor Newsom and the legislature for taking action on this and moving E15 closer to full approval. We look forward to working with our members and our friends in the fuel retailer community to ensure a robust supply chain that will ultimately provide California drivers with access to the savings at the pump they've been waiting for."  



TEAMSTERS AUTHORIZE STRIKE AT TYSON

Teamsters Local 577 members at Tyson Foods of Amarillo, the largest beef processing plant in the United States, have voted by a 98 percent margin to authorize a strike. The Teamsters represent 3,100 workers in slaughtering and processing at the facility who are demanding higher wages and improved benefits.

“We are bargaining with one of the most repulsively greedy and amoral corporations in the entire country. Last year, Tyson’s CEO made 525 times that of the median worker,” said Al Brito, President of Local 577. “This facility is essential to the beef supply chain, but if Tyson’s corporate leadership doesn’t start demonstrating some basic humanity, we will be forced to take action.”

The union has filed a number of unfair labor practice (ULP) charges against Tyson for violating labor law. In the past month, management has harassed union stewards, coerced injured employees into dropping claims, illegally interrogated union members, and falsely told workers at the facility that if they engaged in a ULP strike they would lose their jobs.

“We’re not just fighting for more money,” said Keisha Carey, a member of the Tyson Teamsters Negotiating Committee. “We’re tired of seeing people suffer. We’re tired of seeing people hurting. We’re tired of seeing the elites who run this company have no compassion for the workers who make them rich. We’re ready to strike this company if they don’t give us the deal we deserve.”